GEGHAMYAN IS IDEOLOGICAL … WHAT? THE LEADER OF NOR JAMANAKNER ASKS

Largir, Armenia
Nov 29 2007

Now there is one idea in Armenia – to get rid of this government,
said the leader of the Nor Jamanakner Party Aram Karapetyan in a
news conference on November 29. "If they come together around it,
their cooperation will succeed. Later in normal conditions everyone
will present because there will be a new election, competition,"
Aram Karapetyan says with regard to the issue of unification of the
opposition, answering the question of joining Levon Ter-Petrosyan or
Vazgen Manukyan.

"Now you know there is something interest. I want to understand if
there is such a climate in this country where ideas do not interest
anyone, unfortunately, what ideological struggle means in this
atmosphere of apathy, fear and pressure? Around what ideas? For years
on the Armenian Revolutionary Federation says they are struggling
for ideas. But we cannot understand whether they are ideological
government or ideological opposition. For instance, I have decided
not to speak about opposition but on that day I did not understand
the speech… it is a little different, I don’t know. I don’t want
to insult because in future they may join the movement, but I don’t
want to remain silent," Aram Karapetyan says.

According to him, either there is real opposition which struggles
for a change of the situation, and won’t sell themselves out, is not
afraid, which is very important, in his opinion, and he is one of
these people if there are such. "They are pro-West or pro-Russian,
I don’t know, whether they are liberal, fundamentalist, it makes no
difference to me, we have been together so far. If there is no such
a group, it means we are alone with you, if you share this approach
that everything should change. In future we will start struggle, it
will become clear one is liberal, the other prefers planned economy,
when everything is normal. Now you say hello to them, the police
arrests, so what ideas are concerned?" Aram Karapetyan says.

Nevertheless, he does not specify whom he considers real opposition
whom he would support if not before at least after the presidential
election. Aram Karapetyan only repeats that after the presidential
election the real opposition will have to come together, and there
will be a change of government in Armenia.

Meanwhile, Aram Karapetyan thinks it is normal that the opposition
did not unite before the presidential election. "I can repeat the
same thing that in Armenia they do not come together around ideas,
they come together around actions," the leader of the Nor Jamanakner
Party says. He gives the example of unification of the Nor Jamanakner
Party, Impeachment and the Republic Party before the presidential
election and managed to give rise to a surge of popular movement for
the first time after April 2004. "I don’t think it is possible to erase
this. I think considerable work has been done during the parliamentary
election. It is another question that we did not go all the way. It
is a continuous process. My personal opinion is that its ending is the
presidential election," the leader of the Nor Jamanakner Party says.